Feb. 27, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - Putting together one of the top offensive seasons in recent Saint Joseph's women's basketball history, senior Ayahna Cornish was recognized for her outstanding play this season as she was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team, conference officials announced Tuesday.

Currently tied for third in the A-10 in scoring at 17.0 points per game, Cornish has proven to be the go-to-player for the Hawks' offense. Scoring in double figures in 24 of 28 games this season, the Philadelphia native has tallied 475 points heading into this weekend's Atlantic 10 Tournament, ranking 15th all-time in single-season scoring at Saint Joseph's. Earning spots on both the Courtyard Classic and Hawk Classic All-Tournament Teams, Cornish turned it up a notch in A-10 play, finishing third in conference-only scoring at 18.0 ppg.

Adding to her scoring output, Cornish has also set career-highs in rebounds (153), assists (60) and steals (46). Cornish will finish her career one of only 12 players in Saint Joseph's history to have scored over 1,100 points and grabbed 400 rebounds. She enters Friday's game with Rhode Island with 1,164 points and 425 rebounds, good for 13th and 25th all-time, respectively.

Selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team last year, Cornish is joined on this year's team by Lady Comfort of Temple, Suntana Granderson of Xavier, Sarah-Jo Lawrence of George Washington, and La Salle's Christa Ricketts. Earning First Team honors this season were Jessica Adair and Kimberly Beck of George Washington, Carlene Hightower of La Salle, Kamesha Hairston of Temple and Xavier's Amber Harris. Hairston was selected as the A-10 Player of the Year, while Harris earned Rookie of the Year honors.

Cornish and Saint Joseph's opens action at the Atlantic 10 Tournament this Friday at 2 p.m. as the fifth-seeded Hawks take on the 12th seeded Rhode Island Rams at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.